604 – Saturday 21st January 2017: Alfama and a Family Meeting
We planned to park in Alfama in the hire car BUT thank goodness we were not in Jez – we’d have got well and truly stuck. After a few about turns and re-routings we ended up parking a little distance away.
We walked seriously up hill to a couple of viewpoints and past the cathedral (Se in Portuguese) – it was only a 2* in Alison’s guide book, and I’m surprised it made a single star … really nothing to recommend it. We wandered into the Saturday Thieves Market …. bric a brac and crafts, but our time was limited as we had a major date … J’s sister Delia was in Lisbon with most (3 ) of husband Liam’s siblings and we were lunching together They meet up annually and P and D travel from Canada. A fantastic quality lunch and good craic!
Alfama is the district that the wealthy left as it was too rough, and is now one of the trendy spots … really narrow alleys with washing lines and lots of stairs. We worked off the lunch climbing up to Castelo de Sao Jorge. The guide books told us that the best views of Lisbon were from here, and they did not lie. We watched the sun go down over the 25th April Bridge. Would this have been another lovely day!
An excellent lunch.
Castello de Sao Jorge and a bit of Alfama.
Clune Gap Years 
It’s been fun to read your impressions about Lisbon, my hometown 🙂 have fun! PedroL
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We’ve really enjoyed Lisbon and would recommend it. We arrived in Portugal early December and will travel northwards until mid/end March. A beautiful country and warm people.
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so nice you will have the chance to stay for such long period! what are your plans?? North is very beautiful 🙂 PedroL
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No firm plans other than we have to be in Porto at the end of February as we have another friend joining us. We will do some of the coast but also spend a lot of time in the mountains. So do make some suggestions, especially of places that may be a little out of the ordinary / not in the guide books.
Where do you live now?
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Lovely!
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You guys are really going for the sight seeing thing! Looks interesting but still a little cold? We, on the other hand, are lazing around, enjoying the sunshine, walking on the beach and talking to the vast selection of interesting peeps here. Lovely sunset picture. x x
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Yes, we have Alison staying till tomorrow. She may be two years older than James, but she has amazing energy and knows how limited her time is here … her cousin who visits regularly was a wealth of info too. We went to Sintra yesterday and went back again today as there is so much there.
And yes … blinkin cold … thermals are on! And we’re heading north … must be mad!!!
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